Sandeep Patil: No one prompted me to apply for India coach job

Sandeep Patil, the Chairman of the national selection committee, denied the reports about powerful BCCI officials prompting him to apply for India coach’s job and called the reports as ‘absolute nonsense’. The 59-year-old had confirmed his interest in taking up the coach’s role yesterday.

“What the news channels are showing is absolute nonsense. The BCCI had advertised for the coach's job and I have offered my services. I have the desire to contribute whatever little I have to Indian cricket and the kind of experience I had starting with India under-19, India A', the Indian team, MP, Kenya, and Oman. There can be a thousand better coaches than me and it will ultimately be the BCCI and the CAC's call,” Patil was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

The 57-year-old’s tenure as the Chairman of national selection committee will end in September, making him eligible for the coach’s job. Patil also confirmed that this is the first time he has applied for the job even after BCCI’s approaches many a times.

"Since 1994 when I was appointed as the coach of the India U-19 team, till I was made the chief selector, I have always been approached by the BCCI. This is for the first time in my life I'm applying," Patil added.

According to reports, former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad and North Zone selector Vikram Rathour are also set to apply for the India coach’s job.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), earlier this week, had invited applications for the Team India head coach, a position which has been vacant since Duncan Fletcher’s contract ended after the World Cup in 2015. The deadline for applying to the post is June 10, as BCCI President Anurag Thakur had announced earlier.